Untitled (Frolicking Children - Buitelende kinderen)

About this artwork.

The work of art represents two figures reflected upside down. Frolicking Children (Buitelende kinderen) is how the work is commonly known. The municipality of Groningen purchased the sculpture at the time to place it at the Menso Alting College (now De Meerpaal). For years, children played around the stone “tumblers”, until the work of art had to make way for playground equipment on a newly installed schoolyard.

The Centrum Beeldende Kunst (Centre for Visual Arts) found a new location for it on the Sabangplein in 2003. The square, which dates back to 1910/11, was reconstructed in 2002. It now has two lanes and a central reservation with a row of trees on either side. The image by Meesters is an artistic contribution to the joint effort of the Stichting Intensief Beheer Kop Indische Buurt (Foundation for the Intensive Management of the Indies Neighbourhood) and the local residents to increase the quality of life.

The sculptor and master craftsman Mattheus Meesters, born in Haren in 1908, received lessons at the M.T.S. school in Groningen at the Department of Applied Arts and Crafts. The famous Groningen artist Willem Valk was his teacher there. Various works of art by Matthew Masters can be found in the city. One of his most famous works is a statue in the Noorderplantsoen, which the artist referred to as Untitled, but which became known as Sun-worshipper (Zonaanbidster).

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Mattheus Meesters

• District
  Korrewegwijk & De Hoogte

• Year of creation
  1969

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Bluestone

• Dimensions
  h 1,15 m